I almost didn’t finish watching this series, but I powered through for the review. The Crowded Room isn’t the worst show in Apple’s catalog, but it is boring. I’ll be honest. I didn’t have the highest hopes for this series going in. The trailer was boring, so I wasn’t surprised when the series was too. I am more disappointed by the fact that I wasted my time watching this than I am with the quality of the series. Do yourself a favor and go watch anything else.
Rya is an ambitious psychology professor who is asked to help Danny after he shoots up Rockefeller Center. Danny is a troubled kid who hears voices and needs help. Rya is the only person who understands Danny’s condition and can get him the help he needs. But with his trial moving ever closer, Rya is running out of time. Can she help Danny so that he can start healing before it’s too late? Can she convince the world that he needs help, or will he be sent to rot in prison for something that he has no control over? I feel like I have been saying this a lot lately, but this could have been a lot shorter. I believe it was meant to be shorter. This series has a lot of filler, and it took everything I had to not skip around. You can watch the first and last episodes and get the whole story, the rest of the episodes add nothing to the narrative. The Crowded Room spends so much on emotional speeches, psychology lectures, and showing the audience how diverse the cast is that it forgets to tell its story. It’s hilarious that the series is advertised as a thriller when it is missing everything that would make it one. The writing is worse than the pacing. Someone took everything they learned from their Intro to Psyc class, mixed it with some of the laziest emotional speeches, sprinkled in as many cliches they could think of, and threw it together to make this script. I can’t believe they wasted such a talented cast on something more fitting of a high school production. The Crowded Room is a slow build-up to one of the most boring and poorly written trials you will ever have to sit through, and then the series just ends abruptly. While I am happy that they didn’t sequel bait, they should at least have the decency to try to finish the story. The trial magically ends, and you get some meaningless epilogue and the empty feeling that you just wasted precious time you will never get back.
The longer I think about this series, the angrier I get about having sat through it. You can stream it on Apple TV if you have a subscription, but you have better things to do.
Nocturnal just got its first major update!
I was very fortunate to get to review Nocturnal Earlier this year. Nocturnal is a beautiful and unique platformer for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation that might be worth looking into even if you don’t enjoy the genre. I had a lot of fun with this game and recommend it to those interested. Go check out the full review if you want to get the full opinion.
Well, Nocturnal just got its first major update, and I felt the need to share the news. The new update brings with it some much-needed quality-of-life changes, a new enemy, and new story bits to play through. The update introduces a new performance mode that opens up the game to lower-spec computers, which I always love to see. I remember the days when my toaster could barely run anything, it’s nice to see when companies care about their players.
There are also some nice updates to the level and UI design and improved combat feedback for both players and bosses. The game has been released, but it is nice to see the devs are still passionate to make the game better for their customers. It is even nicer that this update isn’t locked behind paid DLC.
I recommend you look into this game if you are in the market for something new. It looks like there are still plans for future updates. It is currently on sale on Steam for $11.89 (normally 16.99) until August 7th. PlayStation also has it on sale for $14.99 (normally $19.99) until August 16th. Sorry Xbox mains, you have to pay the full $19.99 for now.
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Digimon Seekers: Chapter 2-6: Revenge and Reunion
I am sorry for the late post, work has been crazy. Thank you all who have been keeping up with this project, it means a lot to have people read it every week. If you’ve been enjoying this project, please consider subscribing, liking, commenting, and sharing this with your friends. It really helps me out. And as always, don’t forget to support the official release!
Back on the Sons of Chaos channel, the avatar of a cartoonish businessman stands at the door of Marvin’s private chatroom. The avatar is unkempt and dirty. He leans drunkenly against a nearby wall and watches Marvin scrolling through the Grimm news feed.
The attack on Nation X was trending throughout GriMM.
Word had it that the hacker Judge singlehandedly stopped a large-scale attack on Nation X orchestrated by the Sons of Chaos. He was not only able to destroy Nation X’s powerful Digimon, but he also outsmarted Tartarus and the Sons of Chaos.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Marvin asks, taking notice of the interviewer for the first time. “Come to wish me well?” His tone is playfully mocking.
“Glad to see you up so quickly. And I asume…No side effects,” a different voice says sincerely. A small fox with dragon wings and a large ruby embedded on its forehead appears near the interviewer. Its tail flicks at the air.
Marvin smiles. “I wouldn’t have made it back withouty you.” He reaches to Dorumon and ruffles its fur playfully.
“What about Megadramon… Er Aidramon?”
“Luckily,” Marvin stops petting Dorumon and stands to finish his explanation, “there was no heavy damage to the Digicore. It’s currently undergoing repairs and will probably be out of commission for a while.”
“That was close Marvin. We could have lost you out there.” There was concern in the Digimon’s tone.
Marvin grimaced at the thought. “That kid you scouted saved me.” Marvin runs his fingers through his dreadlocks. “I can’t believe I let a hacker surprise me like that. I’m getting old man.” He lets out a nervous chuckle. “Maybe I should plan for an early retirement.”
Dorumon ignores the joke. “We have to do something about Judge. We’re exploring options for retaliation”
Marvin shakes his head and crosses his arms. “You mess with Leon and we’ll have the Americans all over us. We have to think this through.”
“He attacked first!” Dorumon shoots back, its voice almost a growl. “This is an insult to us and what we stand for. We can’t let this slide.” The fur down its back stands angrily. Its tail flails behind it.
“He’s right,” the interviewer speaks up for the first time. His voice is stern and gruff. “We can’t let this go.” The interviewer drops his disguise. Tartarus stands before Marlin with a bored look on his face. He is neatly dressed and well-kempt. He has a scar over his right eye and stands taller than Marvin.
“So what then? We go to war? The big war you…both have been planning?” Marvin doesn’t hide his frustration.
Tartarus looks at his friend pensively for a moment before moving to a nearby couch to sit. He spreads himself out comfortably and turns his attention up to Marvin. “I’ll admit, losing the Machinedramon was a….setback, but the pieces have fallen into place. This can still work.”
“Loogarmon, you mean. And Eiji. Those pieces?”
“What do you think of them by the way? Good huh?” Tartarus smirks as he leans forward, eager for Marvin’s answer.
Marvin sighs. “The kid surprised me,” Marvin says, taking the seat opposite of Tartarus. “At first I thought he was just another cocky code cracker, all-flash, and no substance. But he did good. He doesn’t get a big head and listens to directions. He’s got good instincts too.” Marvin starts to relax in his chair. “and he didn’t leave me behind. I like him.”
Dorumon gives lets out a smug smirk.
“His partner is still just at champion level though.” Marvin sounds concerned.
“He’s young, he’s got room to grow.” Tartarus leans back in his seat and folds his hands behind his head. “I’ve got something to help him grow a little faster.”
“You don’t mean…”
“We don’t know the full extent of Eiji’s power yet,” Tartarus begins as he brings up Eiji and Leon’s profiles on a virtual monitor. “We can’t rely on him until we know the extent of that power. We have to push him. We have to know that he is down for the cause and that he will stick with us to the bitter end.” Tartarus pauses for a moment to examine Marvin’s reaction. “Are you still with us?” He asks grimly.
“Of course I am.”
“Nice work Leon,” Pulsemon says, greeting his partner as he wakes from the testing pod. Leon sits up, taking off the helmet used to measure his vitals. His blond hair is matted from the sweat.
Pulsemon begins running around the lab impatiently.
“You too Pulsemon,” Leon says softly as he stands up from the pod and walks over to a nearby monitor. “We set a new record,” Leon remarks with excitement as he reads over the results of their endurance test.
Pulsemon nods eagerly. “We’re unstoppable! It’s all because they put you in that diaper.” It snickers at its own joke.
“Shut up!” Leon can’t help to laugh along with his oldest friend.
“Phenomenal,” a voice says over the intercom.
Professor Ryusenji stands on the other side of the observation window with a large smile.
“I didn’t realize you were here!” Leon bows his head slightly in an attempt to hide the sudden flash of redness on his face.
“Ryu-booo!” Pulsmon chirps, waving eagerly. “Did you see?! Did you see?!”
“Pulsemon my friend! You did such an amazing job!” the professor responds, matching Pulsemon’s energy. “And you too Leon.”
“Thank you, professor.” Pulsemon continues to fidget through the room.
“To think, the lone hacker judge taking out a whole nation, the Sons of Chaos, and a Machinedramon? America must be so proud.”
“It was now or never,” Leon says solemnly. “They had to pay for what they did. For killing all those people…” Leon pauses for a moment. “I had to do it, for myself. It was the only way I could move forward as a hacker.”
The professor nods and gives a proud smile. “I would have never guessed you would grow up to be so strong.”
Leon moved to Japan in elementary school. His dad worked as an assistant professor at the Tokyo University of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He would often take Leon along to work with him.
“You look like someone who is good at taking care of things,” the professor said to Leon one day. He crouches down to bring himself closer to Leon. He hands him a small screen with the pixel art Digitama on it. “I bet you’d be great at raising it with love and care. I’m giving this to you, can I trust you?”
Leon nods his head as he looks down at the small device and studied the strange video it plays. The small egg occasionally shakes.
“This isn’t a game,” the professor continues his explanation. “This is a Digimon, it’s alive and it exists in the Digital world.” The professor goes on to explain the existence of Digimon and the importance of this task.
Leon promises to take care of his Digimon. From that day on, Leon and Pulsemon became inseparable. Together they grew stronger, setting and surpassing limits until they were as part of the DDL as the professor was.
Leon walks out through the security gate and into the lobby. TV displays throughout the room report on the recent attack on Nation X. He sees Eiji sitting across the room, his head buried in his phone as he scrolls slowly through the day’s feed.
“Eiji!” Leon shouts, waving to get his attention. His voice echoes through the lobby. Eiji lifts his head and finds Leon walking towards him.
He waves back as the memories from elementary start rushing back.
I picked up Revita and thought it was cute and fun, but is it worth it?
I picked up Revita for the Nintendo Switch because I was in the market for a casual game that didn’t require much commitment. The game features cute art, a fantastic soundtrack, and promised gameplay that seemed manageable with my current skill level. Revita delivered on most of my expectations. The game is a fun casual journey through a cute world that I will continue to pick up.
Revita is a unique twin-stick shooter roguelite with procedural dungeons. There is a story, but it serves more as flavor rather than creates the game’s identity.
The gameplay loop for Revita is simple. You start each run with a set amount of life and fight through the floors of enemies until you either clear the tower or die and start again. Each floor is randomly generated, making each attempt feel unique. The RNG isn’t always fair, but you can easily and quickly restart without losing your progress.
What makes this game unique is that it uses life as a currency. You can trade life for randomly generated upgrades at shrines or stores to give your character an edge against the monsters and bosses. There aren’t many chances to regenerate life. Life in Revita is a precious resource and the source of many difficult decisions. How much life will you be willing to sacrifice for power?
Revita is a game where you will die a lot by design. As you play the game and collect resources that you can use to buy permanent upgrades that make future runs easier. This game has a grind, but it doesn’t feel soul-crushing. The gameplay is a bit repetitive, but I found the repetition relaxing. That said, this isn’t a game I can main or no life because the loop gets stale after a while. This is a game you pick up in quick bouts when you don’t have enough time to game or are just looking for a quick and fun distraction.
I had a lot of fun with Revita. The art is great, the soundtrack is amazing, and the gameplay is solid. While I don’t necessarily regret my purchase, $17 is a bit too much for this game. Unless you know you are going to love this game and will be putting hundreds of hours into it, I would wait for it to go on sale. You can pick up Revita on Switch and Steam for $16.99. It is currently on sale on Steam for $11.04 until August 7th.
Don’t forget to check out the soundtrack!
The Wandering Village: A cute casual village builder you need to try once
I was sent The Wandering Village as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
The Wandering Village is a cute and casual village builder with beautiful art, interesting mechanics, and a solid soundtrack. This game easily became one of my favorites due to its casual atmosphere. This game is simple enough to pick up quickly but offers enough of a challenge without becoming overwhelming. This game is the perfect entry point to the genre and a fantastic addition to any library.
The world has become toxic and uninhabitable. The few remaining survivors have found refuge on the back of a giant wandering beast, the Onbu. Together you will wander the world as you attempt to rebuild a symbiotic civilization on the back of the Onbu.
The Wandering Village is a beautiful game with many moving parts. I recommend you play a few runs without looking up guides. I believe most of the fun is trying to figure out how to grow your village properly, failing, and doing it better the next time around. I am sure there is an optimal way of running through this game, but I had as much fun failing as when everything was running smoothly. This game is casual enough that guides aren’t necessary.
The Wandering Village is one of the more casual village builders I’ve played. Worker, resource, and resource management are challenging enough to keep the game engaging without becoming overwhelming. There are settings you can tweak that makes the management mechanics more difficult, but I never felt like it lost its casual vibe. What does create a challenge is adapting to the random encounters throughout the Onbu’s journey. The types of scouting missions that become available, the types of biomes it walks through, and the Onbu’s health all affect the growth of your village. Players will often have to readjust quickly to changes. I lost a few villages because I wasn’t planning properly. You will eventually be able to have more control of the Onbu, but I enjoyed the random nature of the journey. It makes every run unique, giving the game lots of replayability.
I had a lot of fun with The Wandering Village, and recommend it to anyone in the market for a new game. The art is beautiful, and the mechanics are fun and interesting. The game just got an update that added a new biome, buildings, and encounters. You can pick up The Wandering Village on Steam and Xbox for $24.99 or play it for free if you have Game Pass.
Disney Lorcana: Saphire Card List
To finish up the previews for the upcoming Lorcana set, lets go over the sapphire card list. Lorcana comes out August 18, so don’t forget to ask your LGS if they will carry it. There are lot of cool cards, especially if you like the Disney art. I am excited for what this could mean for tcgs as it brings new fans into the space, and it looks simple enough to play with kids. Let me know what you think, and don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends.
Will you be buying into this set?
Disney Lorcana: Emerald Card List
Lets keep the hype going with the Emerald card list. Lorcana drops August 18th, make sure you talk to you LGS to see if they will carry it. If you have been enjoying these updates, don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends.
I love the Lilo and Stitch, and the villains are super cool, but I wish there was more Treasure Planet. What do you think?
I was wrong about Krzyżacy: The Knights of the Cross, the game was rather disappointing
I was sent Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross is a pixel art deck builder based on a book of the same name. Unfortunately, the English localization is bad. I stopped reading the story early on because the effort isn’t worth it. The source material might be worth reading, but this adaptation isn’t. With only gameplay left, there wasn’t much reason for me to keep playing once the novelty wore off. Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross becomes a boring grind with cute pixel art, but you can find a better game elsewhere.
Like most deck builders, you start the game with a basic deck and slowly build a stronger one as you progress through the campaign. What makes this deck builder unique is that you can recruit units to help you in battles. These units will perform actions based on the combination of cards you play during a turn. This creates an interesting dynamic where you are trying to create combos from your hand that synergizes with your companions. The problem I have with this system is that if you don’t meet the basic requirements for an action, the unit sits idle. This game is not forgiving when it comes to the action economy, and wasted turns result in more unnecessary grind.
I recommend you look up guides or build toward a two-color deck early on to make sure you play efficiently. The amount of gold and xp you earn and the global healing you can do is limited. These limits are standard in the genre. The problem is that you can get stuck in the campaign if you haven’t been using your gold wisely. Most deck builders let you easily redo the run, but Krzyżacy forces you to sit through the cut scenes and restart from zero. This is great if you are good at these games and love the strategy, but bad for the casual players. There are global perks you can earn by playing the game that alleviate some of this grind, but it stops being worth the trouble. The game is short enough that the reset isn’t a huge issue, but I couldn’t find the motivation for a second one.
Don’t get me wrong. I like that this game offers difficult choices to its players and rewards efficiency, but I wish the story was better and it was easier to reset the run. I kept hitting a point where I didn’t have money to buy companions, cards, or heals, and my deck wasn’t strong enough to get through the story, and I couldn’t justify going through the grind.
If you are looking for a fun deck builder, there are better options. The art is cool and it introduces interesting mechanics, but as is, this game isn’t worth buying into. The localization of the story isn’t good, and the gameplay isn’t fun enough to justify the price. You can get it on Steam for $14.99, but I suggest you hold off for a sale or some major updates.
Lorcana: Amber Ink Card List
Disney’s Lorcana comes out August 18th so lets get excited by looking at the Amber Ink card list. There are lots of cool looking cards that are going to look so good in a binder. Make sure you get all your Lorcana from your LGS and don’t forget to comment, like, subscribe, and share this with your friends!
I am loving the Lilo and Stitch cards. This set is starting off real strong, but I wonder if there will be alt art secret rares or special box toppers like you see in other TCGs to give collectors something to chase. Either way, I am very excited. How about you? Will you be buying into Lorcana?
Lorcana: Steel Ink Card List
As we get closer to Lorcana’s release, I thought it be cool to get hyped together by looking at the card list for the set coming August 18th. Make sure you get your cards from your LGS, and don’t forget to comment, like, subscribe, and share this with your friends!
Man Captain Hook looks so cool in this set! But definately making room in my binder for the Lilo and Stitch cards. Who else is excited for this game?!